...mysterious ship late Saturday night, though he said the chase took too long. He suggested that laws restricting Japan's military hindered the coast guard from taking action earlier and limited coordination with other military branches, such...

...Himeno, a spokesman for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. But the attacks have put Tokyo in a delicate position. Japan's military is tightly constrained by the constitution, under which Japan is banned from all but defensive military actions...